John Avlon wins 1st District primary: Gooding wins Dem primary to run for Town Board
First-time political candidate John Avlon has defeated his Democratic primary opponent Nancy Goroff and is poised to take on incumbent Rep. Nick LaLota in November.
According to unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections, Mr. Avlon leads with more than 70% of total votes.
In Island voting, unofficial results show Mr. Avlon garnering 19,026 votes to Ms. Goroff’s 8,053.
In the primary to run under the Democratic banner in the November election to fill a vacant Town Board seat, unofficial results have Gordon Gooding as the overwhelming choice of voters, with 308 votes, or 66.96%, to Bert Waife’s 151 votes, or 32.83%.
Mr. LaLota (R-Amityville) was elected in November 2022, winning the seat Republican Lee Zeldin had held since 2015. With Mr. LaLota’s first term ending in January 2025, Mr. Avlon has his eyes set on turning this almost decade-long red seat blue on November 5.
New York’s 1st Congressional District encompasses the majority of Long Island’s East End communities, including Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, East Hampton, Shelter Island and the northern portion of Brookhaven.
Mr. Avlon is a former CNN commentator and prior editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast. He is also an author and presidential historian, according to his website. He was a speechwriter for former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani during his second term and in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks.
He also served as the Director of Speechwriting and Deputy Policy Director for Mr. Giuliani’s 2008 presidential campaign.
